Publications

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the most common cause of infant hospitalizations and severe RSV infections are a significant risk factor for childhood asthma. The pathogenic mechanisms responsible for RSV induced immunopathophysiology remain elusive. Using an age-appropriate mouse model of RSV, we show that IL-33 plays a critical role in the immunopathogenesis of severe RSV, which is associated with higher group 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s) specifically in neonates.

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) is a ligand-activated transcription factor that was originally identified as a regulator of peroxisome proliferation and adipocyte differentiation. Emerging evidence suggests that functional PPARγ signaling also occurs within the hypothalamus. However, the exact distribution and identities of PPARγ-expressing hypothalamic cells remains under debate. The present study systematically mapped PPARγ mRNA expression in the adult mouse brain using in situ hybridization histochemistry.

Although human papillomavirus (HPV)-related oropharyngeal carcinomas (HPV-OPCs) are generally regarded as "poorly differentiated," they actually maintain a close resemblance to the lymphoepithelium of the tonsillar crypts from which they arise: they are basaloid, exhibit minimal keratinization, and are often permeated by lymphocytes. In rare cases, the presence of cilia in a primary HPV-OPC and their persistence in lymph node metastasis can confound the distinction between a benign and malignant process.

Satellite cells (SCs) are muscle-specific stem cells that are essential for the regeneration of damaged muscles. Although SCs have a robust capacity to regenerate myofibers, the number of SCs decreases with aging, leading to insufficient recovery after muscle injury. We herein show that ADAM10, a membrane-bound proteolytic enzyme with a critical role in Notch processing (S2 cleavage), is essential for the maintenance of SC quiescence. We generated mutant mice in which ADAM10 in SCs can be conditionally abrogated by tamoxifen injection.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:
Different strategies have been proposed to target neoangiogenesis in gliomas, besides those targeting Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF). The chemokine Interleukin-8 (IL-8) has been shown to possess both tumorigenic and proangiogenic properties. Although different pathways of induction of IL-8 gene expression have been already elucidated, few data are available on its post-transcriptional regulation in gliomas.

Acute glaucoma is a leading cause of irreversible blindness in East Asia. The mechanisms underlying retinal neuronal injury induced by a sudden rise in intraocular pressure (IOP) remain obscure. Here we demonstrate that the activation of CXCL10/CXCR3 axis, which mediates the recruitment and activation of inflammatory cells, has a critical role in a mouse model of acute glaucoma. The mRNA and protein expression levels of CXCL10 and CXCR3 were significantly increased after IOP-induced retinal ischemia.

The only documented activity of a subclass of ADAMTS proteases comprising ADAMTS2, 3 and 14 is the cleavage of the aminopropeptide of fibrillar procollagens. A limited number of in vitro studies suggested that ADAMTS3 is mainly responsible for procollagen II processing in cartilage. Here, we created an ADAMTS3 knockout mouse (Adamts3-/-) model to determine in vivo the actual functions of ADAMTS3. Heterozygous Adamts3+/- mice were viable and fertile, but their intercrosses demonstrated lethality of Adamts3-/- embryos after 15 days of gestation.

Fibronectin (Fn1) is an evolutionarily conserved extracellular matrix glycoprotein essential for embryonic development. Global deletion of Fn1 leads to mid-gestation lethality from cardiovascular defects. However, severe morphogenetic defects that occur early in embryogenesis in these embryos precluded assigning a direct role for Fn1 in cardiovascular development. We noticed that Fn1 is expressed in strikingly non-uniform patterns during mouse embryogenesis, and that its expression is particularly enriched in the pharyngeal region corresponding with the pharyngeal arches 3, 4, and 6.

Human gene mutations have revealed that a significant number of ADAMTS (a disintegrin-like and metalloproteinase (reprolysin type) with thrombospondin-type 1 motifs) proteins are necessary for normal ocular development and eye function. Mutations in human ADAMTSL4, encoding an ADAMTS-like protein which has been implicated in fibrillin microfibril biogenesis, cause ectopia lentis (EL) and EL et pupillae. Here, we report the first ADAMTSL4 mouse model, tvrm267, bearing a nonsense mutation in Adamtsl4.

Facial somatosensory input is relayed by trigeminal ganglion (TG) neurons and serially wired to brainstem, thalamus, and cortex. Spatially ordered sets of target neurons generate central topographic maps reproducing the spatial arrangement of peripheral receptors on the face. Facial patternprovides a template for map formation, but whether it is sufficient to impose a brain somatotopic pattern is unclear. In the mouse, lower jaw sensory information is relayed by the trigeminal nerve mandibular branch, whose axons target the brainstem dorsal principal sensory trigeminal nucleus (dPrV).